Life definitely changes once a baby is on board, and there's nothing more interesting and exciting than your precious little bundle of joy. This section will answer many of your pressing parenting questions and hopefully help make life easier and more fun for you and your baby.
Hooray! Baby's Here. Now What?
- > Breast Feeding vs. Bottle Feeding
- > How to Make Breast Feeding Work
- > Essential Baby Items for Newborns
- > How Much Sleep Do Babies Need?
- > Signs of Postpartum Depression
- > Good Tips for Baby Immunizations
- > Fun Tips on How to Bond with Your Baby
Baby Safety
Being "Baby" Prepared
Behavior & Developmental Challenges
- > You Can Calm a Fussy Baby - Find Out How
- > Does My Baby Have Colic?
- > How to Identify a Growth Spurt
- > Is your Baby Teething? How You Can Help
- > Ways to Encourage Crawling
- > Ways to Help your Baby Sleep Well
Baby Health Issues & What to Do
- > Diaper Rash Remedies & Prevention
- > Help Your Constipated Baby Feel Better
- > Treatments for Cradle Cap
- > How to Help a Choking Baby
Developmental Milestones & Solid Foods
Integrating Solid Foods into Baby's Diet
Be prepared for crazy baby messes as your baby goes from just formula to solid foods. Your baby will make faces you've never seen him make before. He'll fling food, get sticky hair, create gooey designs on his high chair tray and lots more... You'll really start to know your baby's likes and dislikes. Wait till he tries creamy spinach for the first time! Here are some helpful tips on how to ease your baby into eating solid foods, month by month.
- When and How to Start: 4 - 5 Months Old - Start feeding your cutie rice, oatmeal, and barley baby cereals at round 4 or 5 months of age. Give your baby a little bit of formula or breast milk from a bottle and then a little baby food.
- Monitor Baby's Reaction - After each feeding make sure to look for excessive gassiness, cramping, or rashes. This could be a sign that your baby has an allergy to one of the foods he's eaten recently.
- Add Fruits - Add mushy fruits like pears and applesauce mixed with your baby's cereal. (Use baby food fruits) Next, try fruits alone, without mixing it with cereal.
- Wait 5 Days - When introducing new foods, just do one at a time and feed your baby the same new food for 5 days straight. Monitor your baby's reaction to watch for allergies then introduce another food the next week.
- Move on to Other Food Groups - After you've fed your baby all the fruits then go to squash, carrots, or sweet potatoes-then green veggies, and lastly meats.
- Give Baby a Spoon - When you're feeling daring, hand your baby a spoon with some baby food on it. It can be quite messy, but this will help your baby develop his hand-eye coordination and before long your baby will gain some independence and be able to feed himself.
- Separate Foods - Try not to mix any foods together until your baby is around 7 or 8 months of age.
- Recommendations - The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend introducing eggs, milk, or milk products (including yogurts, cheeses, and, of course, ice cream) before a baby's first birthday.
- Watch for Constipation - Constipation is a common occurrence when a baby starts eating solids. Wait about 5 days before calling a doctor. Usually your baby's system will adjust before then.
- Baby Food Storage - Only keep open jars or prepared baby food up to 3 days.
